by Bumble Bee 26 Replies latest jw experiences
Well, I was thinking of having surgery done on my eyes too, but after seeing the pictures of you that Mary posted, I changed my mind.
I actually am in need of surgery, and will get it done soon. (Cataracts).
Is that what you had done, Bumble Bee? You didn't mention what kind of problem you had. I also have retino-schysis, whatever that is, so that may have an effect on what my options are. I have to look into it more, before making up my mind.
Hubert
It's been a little over a month since I had my surgery and the light is still bothering me really bad.
Today I remembered some Glare Control Window Film we bought and put on some windows to cut down on sunlight coming in & heating up the house in the summer. We had some leftovers so I cut two pieces to cover both the larger screen tv in the living room and my smaller tv in the bedroom.
The color I used is Bronze and it stays on with static cling. You just peel it off whenever you don't want or need it anymore. It looks really dark but the tv picture looks really good with it on and I don't have to wear my sunglasses to watch tv now.
Hopefully you won't have as bad of a problem with light as I am having but if you do this might help.
Can you do just one eye at a time just to make sure it works? As an example. Have one eye done, wait about 6 months or a year to be certain there are no long term problems
and then go in and have the second eye done. My reason? I'm ok with being blind in one eye, but not two!
Highlander -
See www.locateadoc.com/articles.cfm/372/1352
That website explains the Intralase lasik procedure. It is "bladeless". It is amazing to watch. I watched several operations while my daughter was waiting her turn a couple years ago. Dr. Woodhams named in the article is the doc that did both my daughter and me.
I wouldn't go to anyone that hasn't done hundreds or thousands of the procedures successfully. The procedure is so simple and quick it's easier to just do both at once. It takes about 15 minutes to do both eyes.
Maybe if there is a doctor in your area that does these you could make arrangements to go in and watch a few operations to make you feel better about it. Dr. Woodhams has a closed circuit tv set up in the back waiting room where they actually prep you for surgery (give you valium, drops in your eyes to deaden them, etc). While you are waiting your turn, you can watch everyone ahead of you getting their eyes done on the tv.
I probably would have never had it done if I had not watched him do several of them.
Hubert - I had Laser Eye Surgery to correct my vision so I no longer need glasses. (Yippee) From what I've heard from other people cataract surgery is not anything to be feared, and when they finally do get it done, wished they'd done it sooner! And as ffor the pics Mary posted - well, you should have seen me BEFORE the surgery!! lol
MeneMene - I'm sorry you are still having problems. So far the light is not bothering me. I have to wear the dark glasses outside, but no longer need them indoors. I went for a walk last night and did notice some halos around the lights, but was told that is normal and hopefully will dissappear in time. Of course, I knew there is the possibility that it could be permanent, but with the Zyoptic laser, there is less of a chance of that happening.
Highlander - There is really very little chance of you going blind. Just make sure you get a really good surgeon like MeneMene said - one that has done thousands of procedures. If you have certain medical conditions they will only do one eye at a time. This was a bit of a concern with me because I had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, but because I pretty much outgrew it by the age of 12/13 they were ok to do both eyes.
BB
I had Lasik on both eyes last October. You can get one done at a time if you want. At least they offered me that option, but I went for both. My vision was about 20/400 in both eyes with pretty bad astigmatism in my left eye. They got my right eye to 20/20 and my left eye to 20/40. I'm going back in a few weeks to get the left eye "enhanced", hopefully getting it to 20/20 also. But to be honest, I'm really happy with the results as they are. I did have a little light sensitivity for a few weeks, as they told me I would, but it went away. Having worn glasses for 45 years, it's like a miracle not to need them anymore, except for close up reading. Highly recommend it.
Lenny
BumbleBee- How did you find a Lasik doctor, Did your Opthamologist give you a recommendation?
I'm finally looking into doing this but I don't know how to go about finding a competent doctor I would trust.
Also what was the total down time- should I expect to be unable to see for a certain amount of time, days?
Hi Misa,
I went to a clinic that specializes in Laser eye surgery. The thing I was told to look for is the number of procedures the surgeon has performed and his/her training/education. You want a surgeon that has done this thousands of times. This is the surgeon I went to
Dr. Mounir Bashour, a Biomedical Engineering graduate of Johns Hopkins University, completed his medical degree at McGill University. He then specialized in ophthalmology at George Washington University in Washington D.C., after having completed a year as an intern at New York Medical College in Manhattan.
Dr. Bashour is one of the only ophthalmologists in the world to have completed three post-doctoral fellowships: the prestigious American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship in Oculoplastics at the University of Toronto, as well as a Pediatric Ophthalmology and a Refractive Surgery fellowship at McGill University.
Dr. Bashour completed his certificate of Teaching in the Biomedical Sciences and Royal College Clinician Investigator Program at the University of Toronto, where he also completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Science.
As for down time, it depends on what you are doing. Here is a chart that they gave me after my surgery. Make sure you wear your glasses!! And the first day, no TV, no computers, no reading. You will need to have someone drive you to and from your appointments the day of the surgery and the follow up appointment the next day. Avoid overtaxing your eyes, and make sure you use the drops provided. Take the sedative they will offer you!! lol There really was no pain for the actual procedure, your eyes are well numbed. There was some burning about 45 min after but they numbed my eyes again. I pretty much slept the rest of the day. Anything else you want to know, just ask.
Day of surgery | The day of laser eye surgery should be a day of rest. Your eyes are very sensitive and it is very important to take extra care about activities in which the eye may be poked, rubbed or touched. Keep your eyes well lubricated.
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24 hours |
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Day 3 activities |
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Day 7 activities |
Activities that can begin after 1 week WITH eye protection.
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Activities after 1 month | Activities that can begin at 1 month WITH eye protection.
Activities that can begin at 1 month without eye protection. Proceed with caution:
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Activities after 3 months | Activities that can begin at 3 months without eye protection. Proceed with caution:
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Thanks for the info BB!
Yikes, I can't imagine a day w/o reading. Really, the idea of being aware during surgery terrifies me. I am convinced I would scream in terror, and I have had 12 surgeries, including 3 C-sections where I was fully conscious and a few other 'minor' procedures where I was there and awake. . .sort of. Do they give you any major relaxing drugs for the surgery or just pain killers after?
